scholarly journals Small Endogenous Ligands Modulation of Nerve Growth Factor Bioactivity: A Structural Biology Overview

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 3462
Author(s):  
Francesca Paoletti ◽  
Doriano Lamba
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Small Molecules ◽  
Structural Biology ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Endogenous Ligands ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Regulatory Cascade ◽  
Endogenous Modulator ◽  
Ngf Signaling

Experiments with cell cultures and animal models have provided solid support for the assumption that Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) plays a key role in the regulation of neuronal cell survival and death. Recently, endogenous ligands have been proposed as physiological modulators of NGF biological activity as part of this regulatory cascade. However, the structural and mechanistic determinants for NGF bioactivity remain to be elucidated. We recently unveiled, by an integrated structural biology approach, the ATP binding sites of NGF and investigated the effects on TrkA and p75NTR receptors binding. These results pinpoint ATP as a genuine endogenous modulator of NGF signaling, paving the way to the characterization of not-yet-identified chemical diverse endogenous biological active small molecules as novel modulators of NGF. The present review aims at providing an overview of the currently available 3D structures of NGF in complex with different small endogenous ligands, featuring the molecular footprints of the small molecules binding. This knowledge is essential for further understanding the functional role of small endogenous ligands in the modulation of neurotrophins signaling in physiological and pathological conditions and for better exploiting the therapeutic potentialities of NGF.

scholarly journals Acceleration of TAA-Induced Liver Fibrosis by Stress Exposure Is Associated with Upregulation of Nerve Growth Factor and Glycopattern Deviations

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5055
Author(s):  
Catalina Atorrasagasti ◽  
Flavia Piccioni ◽  
Sophia Borowski ◽  
Irene Tirado-González ◽  
Nancy Freitag ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Liver Fibrosis ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Liver Damage ◽  
Neurotrophin Receptor ◽  
P75 Neurotrophin Receptor ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Fibrotic Process ◽  
Ngf Signaling

Liver fibrosis results from many chronic injuries and may often progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In fact, up to 90% of HCC arise in a cirrhotic liver. Conversely, stress is implicated in liver damage, worsening disease outcome. Hence, stress could play a role in disrupting liver homeostasis, a concept that has not been fully explored. Here, in a murine model of TAA-induced liver fibrosis we identified nerve growth factor (NGF) to be a crucial regulator of the stress-induced fibrogenesis signaling pathway as it activates its receptor p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), increasing liver damage. Additionally, blocking the NGF decreased liver fibrosis whereas treatment with recombinant NGF accelerated the fibrotic process to a similar extent than stress challenge. We further show that the fibrogenesis induced by stress is characterized by specific changes in the hepatoglycocode (increased β1,6GlcNAc-branched complex N-glycans and decreased core 1 O-glycans expression) which are also observed in patients with advanced fibrosis compared to patients with a low level of fibrosis. Our study facilitates an understanding of stress-induced liver injury and identify NGF signaling pathway in early stages of the disease, which contributes to the established fibrogenesis.

scholarly journals Pro-Nerve Growth Factor Induces Activation of RhoA Kinase and Neuronal Cell Death

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Sycheva ◽  
Jake Sustarich ◽  
Yuxian Zhang ◽  
Vaithinathan Selvaraju ◽  
Thangiah Geetha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Kinase Activity ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Neuronal Cell Death ◽  
Rho Kinase ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Rhoa Kinase

We have previously shown that the expression of pro-nerve growth factor (proNGF) was significantly increased, nerve growth factor (NGF) level was decreased, and the expression of p75NTR was enhanced in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) hippocampal samples. NGF regulates cell survival and differentiation by binding TrkA and p75NTR receptors. ProNGF is the precursor form of NGF, binds to p75NTR, and induces cell apoptosis. The objective of this study is to determine whether the increased p75NTR expression in AD is due to the accumulation of proNGF and Rho kinase activation. PC12 cells were stimulated with either proNGF or NGF. Pull-down assay was carried out to determine the RhoA kinase activity. We found the expression of p75NTR was enhanced by proNGF compared to NGF. The proNGF stimulation also increased the RhoA kinase activity leading to apoptosis. The expression of active RhoA kinase was found to be increased in human AD hippocampus compared to control. The addition of RhoA kinase inhibitor Y27632 not only blocked the RhoA kinase activity but also reduced the expression of p75NTR receptor and inhibited the activation of JNK and MAPK induced by proNGF. This suggests that overexpression of proNGF in AD enhances p75NTR expression and activation of RhoA, leading to neuronal cell death.

scholarly journals Effect of nerve growth factor on the release of inflammatory mediators by mature human basophils

Blood ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 2662-2669 ◽  
Author(s):  
SC Bischoff ◽  
CA Dahinden
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Inflammatory Mediators ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cell Fractionation ◽  
Hematopoietic Growth Factors ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Human Basophils

Abstract Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophic cytokine known to regulate the survival and function of peripheral and central neuronal cells. Recently, the spectrum of action could be extended to non-neuronal cell types such as rat mast cells and human B lymphocytes. The present study shows that NGF affects the function of mature human basophils isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy donors. Both murine NGF 7S and recombinant human NGF beta enhance histamine release and strongly modulate the formation of lipid mediators by basophils in response to various stimuli. This priming effect of NGF on basophils occurs rapidly within 10 to 15 minutes of preincubation, is dose-dependent, and requires similarly low concentrations (1 to 40 pmol/L) of human NGF beta as the induction of neurite outgrowth in ganglion cells. Cell fractionation studies indicate that NGF acts directly on human basophils without an involvement of other cell types, suggesting the presence of high-affinity NGF receptors on basophils. NGF by itself (up to 4 nmol/L of human NGF beta) does not induce the release of inflammatory mediators directly. The effect of human NGF on basophil mediator release is similar to that of the hematopoietic growth factors interleukin-3, interleukin-5, and granulocyte-macrophage colony- stimulating factor. The present study further demonstrates that NGF acts as a pleiotropic cytokine at the interface between the nervous and the immune system, and that NGF may be involved in inflammatory processes and hypersensitivity reactions.

The effect of nerve growth factor on the development of sodium channels in PC12 cells

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (11) ◽  
pp. 1153-1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juta K. Reed ◽  
Diane England
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Pc12 Cells ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Scorpion Toxin ◽  
Excitable Cells ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Differentiated Cells

We have studied the development of the action potential Na+ channels in PC12 cells, an established line that has been useful as a model for neuronal differentiation. In continuous culture PC12 cells, although electrically inexcitable, nevertheless have a low level of Na+ channels as judged by the increase in 22Na+ uptake in the presence of veratridine and scorpion toxin. These two neurotoxins have been shown to promote activation of Na+ channels in a variety of electrically excitable cells. Following treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF), conditions which induce differentiation to an electrically excitably neuronal-cell type, the neurotoxin-activated 22Na+ uptake increases approximately 12-fold, on a per cell basis, reaching a maximum in 12–16 days. The dose–response curves for veratridine and scorpion toxin are unchanged by NGF treatment (K0.5 for veratridine, 18–14 μM; K0.5 for scorpion toxin, 120–96 nM). Na+ channels in both undifferentiated and differentiated cells are tetrodotoxin sensitive and NGF treatment has no effect on the inhibition constant (Ki, 10–12 nM). Na+ channel sites were measured directly by the specific binding of [3H]saxitoxin. In NGF-treated cells, the saxitoxin receptor density reaches 154 fmol/mg protein (Kd, 1.3 nM), a level comparable to other excitable cells. Levels in control cells were too low to measure accurately. These findings show that NGF treatment of PC12 cells leads to a substantial increase in the expression of neurotoxin-sensitive Na+ channels. Furthermore, these channels are pharmacologically similar, if not identical, to those which exist in undifferentiated cells and therefore do not appear to result from the conversion of preexisting channels.

scholarly journals The transcription of the human fructose-bisphosphate aldolase C gene is activated by nerve-growth-factor-induced B factor in human neuroblastoma cells*

1997 ◽  
Vol 323 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasqualina BUONO ◽  
Lisa de CONCILIIS ◽  
Paola IZZO ◽  
Francesco SALVATORE
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Neuroblastoma Cells ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Fructose Bisphosphate ◽  
Human Neuroblastoma Cells ◽  
Human Neuroblastoma ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Aldolase C ◽  
Fructose Bisphosphate Aldolase

A DNA region located at around -200 bp in the 5´ flanking region (region D) of the human brain-type fructose-bisphosphate aldolase (aldolase C) gene has been analysed. We show by transient transfection assay and electrophoretic-mobility-shift assay (EMSA) that the binding of transcriptional activators to region D is much more efficient (80% versus 30%) in human neuroblastoma cells (SKNBE) than in the non-neuronal cell line A1251, which contains low levels of aldolase C mRNA. The sequence of region D, CAAGGTCA, is very similar to the AAAGGTCA motif present in the mouse steroid 21-hydroxylase gene; the latter motif binds nerve-growth-factor-induced B factor (NGFI-B), which is a member of the thyroid/steroid/retinoid nuclear receptor gene family. Competition experiments in EMSA and antibody-directed supershift experiments showed that NGFI-B is involved in the binding to region D of the human aldolase C gene. Furthermore, the regulation of the aldolase C gene (which is the second known target of NGFI-B) expression during development parallels that of NGFI-B.

scholarly journals Nerve growth factor employs multiple pathways to induce primary response genes in PC12 cells.

1992 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Batistatou ◽  
C Volonté ◽  
L A Greene
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Pc12 Cells ◽  
Primary Response ◽  
Purine Analogues ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Primary Response Genes ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Ngf Signaling

Nerve growth factor (NGF) leads to neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells and promotes their survival in serum-free medium. Past studies have shown that purine analogues block some of the effects of NGF but not others and thus that they can be used to dissect the mechanistic pathways of its action. In the present work we used 2-aminopurine (2-AP) and 6-thioguanine (6-TG) to examine whether NGF causes activation of primary response genes through a single signaling pathway or via multiple pathways. Northern blot analysis and nuclear run-off transcription assays were used to assess the activation of c-fos, c-jun, TIS1, TIS8, and TIS11 after exposure of PC12 cells to NGF in the presence or absence of 2-AP and 6-TG. Our findings indicate that NGF appears to employ at least three distinct pathways to induce early genes in PC12 cells. This suggests that the NGF signaling mechanism diverges at an early point after interaction of NGF with its receptor.

scholarly journals The Mixture of Gotu Kola, Cnidium Fruit, and Goji Berry Enhances Memory Functions by Inducing Nerve-Growth-Factor-Mediated Actions Both In Vitro and In Vivo

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1372
Author(s):  
Jin Gyu Choi ◽  
Zahra Khan ◽  
Seong Min Hong ◽  
Young Choong Kim ◽  
Myung Sook Oh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Differentiation ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Memory Functions ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Goji Berry

Nerve growth factor (NGF), a typical neurotrophin, has been characterized by the regulation of neuronal cell differentiation and survival involved in learning and memory functions. NGF has a main role in neurite extension and synapse formation by activating the cyclic adenosine monophosphate-response-element-binding protein (CREB) in the hippocampus. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a mixture of Gotu Kola, Cnidium fruit, and Goji berry (KYJ) enhances memory function by inducing NGF-mediated actions both in vitro and in vivo. The KYJ combination increased NGF concentration and neurite length in C6 glioma and N2a neuronal cells, respectively. Additionally, we discovered memory-enhancing effects of KYJ through increased NGF-mediated synapse maturation, CREB phosphorylation, and cell differentiation in the mouse hippocampus. These findings suggest that this combination may be a potential nootropic cognitive enhancer via the induction of NGF and NGF-dependent activities.

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